I spent a year building a barcode scanner app that shows real prices at every store near you
Hey r/loblawsisoutofcontrol,
I’ve been building this alone for over a year, nights and weekends. Until now, I’ve basically been the only tester. Today I’m opening the first public beta.
It’s called ScanRebel.
Scan any grocery barcode and see what that exact product costs at stores near you — real branch-level prices with addresses and distances, not flyer averages.
It tracks price history so you can see if a “sale” is actually a sale, tracks shrinkflation, and lets you build a cart to compare the total across nearby stores.
You can also snap a photo of a shelf tag to contribute or correct a price. Every price shows where it came from, when it was seen, and whether it’s confirmed at that specific store or estimated. The goal is to never pretend the data is more certain than it actually is.
Right now there are 40+ million price points across Loblaws-family stores, Metro/Food Basics, Sobeys/FreshCo/IGA/Safeway/Foodland, and Walmart, refreshed weekly. Coverage is strongest in Ontario/GTA.
It’s a real beta. Things will break, photos are sparse, and I need people other than me to finally beat on it.
Does this actually help you shop? What’s broken, confusing, or missing? And what should I prioritize next?
iOS and Android beta:
Brutal feedback is genuinely welcome. I’ll be reading every comment.